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The Wars of Identity
In the Time Before, magic was the sole property of three types of being: the Sorcerers, the Dragons and Nature Itself. Natural magic arose when the shapes of the rocks and plants formed themselves into sigils of power randomly, but in such a way that would self-propagate and intensify. The Dragons had the sigils of power etched onto their bones, and age brought mastery of their natural abilities. The Sorcerers, like the Dragons, had runes of power inscribed into their bones, but theirs was freak chance rather than design. Sorcerers were, and still are, the enemy of dragons, for the dragons would hunt and kill sorcerers and any who would harbour them while they were young and inexperienced, to maintain their magical mastery over the world. For thousands of years, the balance was maintained. However, it came to pass that the dwarves, studying the bones of dragons and sorcerers alike, were able to replicate the symbols they saw there, and forge them into amulets, weapons – even wands and staves to channel magic directly. For a time, their prosperity grew, but they were still unable to fight back the beasts of the world, nor form more than a small-scale culture. Then, one day, from out of the deep forests of the world, walked a gnomish scholar named Laelion. He, like many of his kind, could perform minor tricks of magic from the natural energy that suffused his body, but he wished to learn, to understand truly the magic that infused the land. To this end he journeyed to the underground halls of the dwarfs and studied the principles of their craft. Then, combining his own skill with the knowledge of the dwarfs, he began to form the sigils of power in thin air with his hands, until he could draw upon the magic at will. He became the first Wizard, and he would change the fate of the world. Once the principle was learned, he taught to all that would learn. He began with the dwarfs, and though at first skeptical, the attacks on their holdings from all fronts soon had dozens of disciples asking to learn his secrets. With Laelion at their head, the dwarven legions forced the giants from their lands, and even retook several lost colonies from the Dragons that nested on the mountain peaks. Then Laelion marched on the elven lands, uniting the disparate tribes, slaying the great beasts that dwelt in the darkest reaches of their forest and the deepest caverns of their vast fungus caves. The elves were eager learners of the craft also, and took to it quickly and masterfully – it is known that the greatest wizards of the age, besides Laelion himself, were elven. Finally, at the head of one united army of elves, dwarfs and gnomes, he advanced into the vast plains of men and halflings and, like a righteous tide, swept away the savage tribes of orcs, hobgoblins, lizardfolk and other monstrous races that preyed upon them. And thus were the lands of the civilised races made safe for habitation, and thus was ushered in a time of unprecedented growth and prosperity under the rule of Laelion and a succession of wise and powerful leaders. For the first time in the history of the land, true, permanent cities could be raised, permanent trading routes could be established, and the population of the common races exploded. Civilisation flourished. - Excerpt from Weldon's 'A Concise History of the Mythic Age'